Ronaldo, Man. U Dominate Chinese Social Media

The 32-year-old Ronaldo has been named the most influential footballer online in China, according to a report by CNN on Thursday. In doing so, the popularity of Ronaldo beat those of rivals as Gareth Bale and Wayne Rooney is speculated as being on his way to the Chinese league.

CNN quoting the report by Shanghai-based consultancy Mailman’s sixth annual Red Card, it found Ronaldo’s online engagement in China to be 10 times higher than any other footballer.

There are around 806 million monthly active users on social media in China.

The report analyzes the influence of 53 European clubs and their players in the country using eight different metrics, such as followers, engagement and digital presence.

The report also concluded that English Premier League side Manchester United has this year toppled Bayern Munich as the most influential team, while Germany’s Bundesliga — the only league to launch a live stream in China — is deemed to have the best digital presence of all the European leagues.